Hong Kong’s commerce chief Algernon Yau. Photo: Kyle HKFP/Lam.
A Hong Kong top government official has urged Britain to let the public "know the truth" about the unexplained death of a man who had been charged by British prosecutors with aiding the territory's foreign intelligence service.
Algernon Yau, Hong Kong's Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, met with Britain's deputy counsel-general to discuss the incident and express concern about the death according to a statement from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, released late on Thursday.
British police are investigating the death of Matthew Trickett, 37, a former Royal Marine who worked as an immigration officer and private investigator. He was found dead in a park on Sunday in Maidenhead, to the west of London.
Trickett had been charged with two others earlier this month with offences under Britain's National Security Act, a law passed last year that brought in new measures to target threats from foreign states.
He had been granted bail at a May 13 court hearing along with Chung Biu Yuen, 63, an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, and Chi Leung Wai, 38, also known as Peter Wai, who works as a UK Border Force officer.
"As has widely been reported Matthew Trickett died on the 19th of May," prosecutor Alistair Richardson told a hearing at London's Old Bailey court on Friday. "The cause of death is currently given as unexplained."
The trio had been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service between December and May by "agreeing to undertake information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception" in Britain.
A second charge alleges the three men conducted "foreign interference" by forcing entry into a residential address in Britain on May 1.
Richardson said the court had been notified on Tuesday that prosecutors were discontinuing their case against Trickett "for obvious reasons"
The two remaining suspects, who have not yet entered a plea to the charges, were told by Judge Jeremy Baker their trial, expected to last five weeks, had been set for February next year, and they will next appear in court on Oct. 25.
Yau said Britain should handle the matter fairly and give an open account of the incident, "especially the death of a person who was arrested by the UK Police and reportedly a UK immigration officer".
He added that it was important to "let the public know the truth and prevent unwarranted speculation" and ensure the normal operation of Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office in London.
There was no immediate comment from Britain's foreign ministry on Yau's remarks.
The Chinese Embassy in London accused Britain of fabricating the charges against the men and said it had no right to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs
Source: Reuters
香港官員敦促英國提供被控為中國從事間諜活動的男子死亡的詳細信息
香港一名高級政府官員敦促英國讓公眾“了解一名男子不明原因死亡的真相”，這名男子被英國檢察官指控協助香港的外國情報部門。
根據商務及經濟發展局週四晚間發布的聲明，香港商務及經濟發展局局長邱騰華會見了英國副總法律顧問，討論了這一事件，並對這起死亡事件表示擔憂。
英國警方正在調查 37 歲的馬修·特里克特 (Matthew Trickett) 的死亡事件，他是一名前皇家海軍陸戰隊員，曾擔任移民官員和私家偵探。 週日，他被發現死在倫敦西部梅登黑德的一個公園裡。
本月早些時候，特里克特與另外兩人被指控違反英國《國家安全法》，該法於去年通過，針對來自外國的威脅採取了新措施。
在 5 月 13 日的法庭聽證會上，他與香港駐倫敦經濟貿易辦事處 63 歲的辦公室經理鐘標源 (Chung Biu Yuen) 以及 38 歲的 Chi Leung Wai (又名 Peter Wai) 一起獲准保釋。英國邊境部隊官員。
「正如廣泛報導的那樣，馬修·特里克特於 5 月 19 日去世，」檢察官阿利斯泰爾·理查森週五在倫敦老貝利法院舉行的聽證會上表示。 “目前死因無法解釋。”
三人被指控在 12 月至 5 月期間協助外國情報部門「同意在英國進行資訊收集、監視和欺騙行為」。
第二項指控稱，三名男子於 5 月 1 日強行進入英國的一個居住地址，進行「外國干涉」。
理查森表示，法庭已於週二接獲通知，檢察官「出於顯而易見的原因」將中止對特里克特的案件
剩下的兩名嫌疑人尚未對指控提出抗辯，傑里米·貝克法官告訴他們，預計將持續五週的審判已定於明年 2 月進行，他們將於 10 月 25 日出庭。
丘表示，英國應該公平處理此事，並公開說明這起事件，「特別是一名被英國警方逮捕的人的死亡，據報道是一名英國移民官員」。
他補充說，重要的是“讓公眾了解真相，防止無端猜測”，並確保香港駐倫敦經濟貿易辦事處的正常運作。
英國外交部沒有立即對丘的言論發表評論。
中國駐倫敦大使館指責英國捏造對這些人的指控，並表示無權干涉香港事務。
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